Buy a Blenz coffee, get a date

In a town known for being tough to get a date, Blenz is launching a Valentine’s project to get couples together over coffee.

Blenz, which has embraced social media in a big way, is combining IRL (that’s in real life) encounters at its coffee shops with Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other social media with its Blenz Red Band launching February 1.

Single Blenz customers can opt to take out the equivalent of a personal’s ad on their coffee cup – a red band sleeve signifying they’re open to meeting potential dates.

(I wonder how many partnerships will break up when people catch their significant other sporting a red-banded coffee cup but that’s for the agony aunt column.)

The project was prompted by the thought of yet another lonely Valentine’s Day.

“It gets lonely around Valentine’s Day if you are single, especially in this city,” said Yuliya Talmazan who proposed the idea to Blenz president and social media evangelist George Moen. “Vancouver is notorious for having more single people than there is rain. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to get to meet new people these days.

So I thought it would be nice to have some sort of a token that everyone could recognize… something to set you apart as being single,” Talmazanl said in a release announcing the project.

The Blenz Red Band promotion runs from Feb. 1st through 28th. During that time, if you mention #BlenzRedBand on Twitter or Blenz Red Band in your status updates on Facebook you’ll be entered into a daily draw to win a “Blenz Romance Kit.” Blenz’s Red Band web site will host posts from bloggers with tips and stories about dating and relationships. The red bands are being given out at all Blenz coffee shops in British Columbia.

That couple that emerges from February with the best red band love story gets the grand prize with the winner to be selected March 1. Submissions will be accepted on Facebook and Twitter.

This is a pretty sweet idea. How many times do you see someone on a bus or crossing the street and you think to yourself “I should go up and talk to that person… but that is weird”. This takes away the weird and it’s awesome!